University admission test dates: Dhaka University from December 5, BUET on January 16

The results of the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examinations have just been published. This year the HSC pass rate is the lowest in recent years, and the number of students achieving GPA-5 has also fallen significantly. The downward trend in the results will also affect admission to higher education.

According to preliminary information from the University Grants Commission (UGC), considering the total number of seats in higher education and the number of students who passed the HSC and equivalent examinations this year, more than 800,000 seats may remain vacant.

Students are preparing for admission in the 2026-27 academic session to public universities, engineering universities, medical colleges and cluster-system universities. Some want to study at universities and medical colleges in the country, while others dream of studying abroad on scholarships. Several universities have already announced application and examination dates and schedules for admission.

Meanwhile, admission tests may be pushed back to give unsuccessful students a supplementary re-examination opportunity. A Dhaka Board source said there is preliminary discussion about whether the examination can be held on December 2, along with plans to publish its results within December, so that students who pass it also get the chance to enter higher education.

The undergraduate admission test of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) for the 2026-27 session will be held on January 16, 2027. The date was finalised at a meeting of the university's Academic Council on September 6, 2026. In the 2025-26 session there was no preliminary screening test, and eligible students were selected through a written examination only. It has not yet been announced whether the same method will be used this time.

The MBBS admission test for government and private medical and dental colleges in the 2026-27 session is expected to be held in the first week of next month.

Dhaka University's (DU) admission tests for the 2026-27 session will begin on December 5, with the IBA unit examination on that day. The Science unit examination will follow on December 12, the Arts, Law and Social Sciences unit on December 19, the Fine Arts unit on December 22 and the Business Studies unit on December 26. Online applications can be submitted from November 11 to November 25, until 11:59 pm on November 25.

All units except IBA will be held from 11 am to 12:30 pm, while the IBA unit examination will run from 10 am to 12 pm. Except for the Fine Arts and IBA units, the other three units' examinations will be held in Dhaka and eight divisional cities. The divisional centres are Rajshahi University, Chittagong University, Barishal University, Khulna University, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Bangladesh Agricultural University in Mymensingh and Begum Rokeya University.

At Jahangirnagar University (JU), first-year undergraduate (honours) admission tests for the 2026-27 session will begin on January 10 next year and continue until January 21, 2027. Deputy Registrar Syed Mohammad Ali Reza said the examinations will be held on days other than Friday and Saturday. An earlier Academic Council decision to hold the tests at divisional centres will not take effect this year; the examinations will be held on the university campus.

Rajshahi University's admission tests for the 2026-27 session will be held on January 8, 9 and 16, 2027. The B unit (Business Studies) examination is on January 8, the C unit (Science) on January 9 and the A unit (Humanities) on January 16. Applicants can submit preliminary online applications from November 12 to November 27, 2026. Besides the university's own campus, examinations will be held simultaneously at centres in Dhaka, Chattogram, Khulna, Sylhet, Mymensingh and Rangpur.

At Jagannath University, online applications for first-year undergraduate (honours) and BBA admission in the 2026-27 session will open at 12 noon on November 15, 2026 and continue until 11:59 pm on December 10. Admission tests will begin on January 1, 2027 and will be conducted through five units. The A unit examination is on January 1, E unit on January 8, B unit on January 15, C unit on January 22 and D unit on January 23. All units' examinations will be held in Dhaka from 10 am to 11 am in multiple-choice format.

At the University of Chittagong (CU), students can apply online from November 15 to December 10, 2026 for the 2026-27 first-year admission tests. The tests will begin on January 30 next year with the A unit and end on February 8, 2027. The C unit examination is on January 29, B unit on February 5, D unit on February 6, B1 sub-unit on February 3, B2 sub-unit on February 4 and D1 sub-unit on February 8. Examinations will be held at the same date and time in Chattogram (CU campus), Dhaka (DU campus) and Rajshahi (RU campus), although the B1 and B2 sub-unit examinations will be held only on the CU campus.

Khulna University's (KU) admission tests will be held on December 17 and 18, 2026. The C and D units will be examined on December 17 and the A and B units on December 18. The C unit covers the Arts and Humanities, Social Science, Law, Education and Fine Arts schools, the D unit covers the Management and Business Administration school, the A unit covers the Science, Engineering and Technology school and the B unit covers the Life Science school disciplines. The decisions were taken at a central admission committee meeting on August 24, 2026, and the detailed schedule will be announced later through a notice.

The undergraduate admission tests of Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University (HSTU) in Dinajpur for the 2026-27 session will begin on January 24 next year and end on January 28. A university press release said the detailed schedule will be published on the website in due course.

The admission test dates of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) in Sylhet for the 2026-27 session have been rescheduled. Instead of the previously announced January 26 and 27, the tests will now be held on January 17 and 18. Dhaka University's convocation will be held on January 26, and one of SUST's admission test centres is located there. The authorities took the decision to reduce students' travel and accommodation difficulties and to complete the examinations smoothly.

Admission tests for the undergraduate programme of the Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST) will begin on December 18, 2026 with the C unit (Science). The A and B unit (Engineering and Architecture) examinations will be held the next day, December 19.